Skip to main content
info

"Informed AI News" is an publications aggregation platform, ensuring you only gain the most valuable information, to eliminate information asymmetry and break through the limits of information cocoons. Find out more >>

Ultra-Precise Atomic Clock Sets New Standards in Timekeeping

Ultra-Precise Atomic Clock Sets New Standards in Timekeeping

Scientists have constructed the world's most accurate clock. Its precision is such that it would only lose one second over 300 billion years—more than twice the age of the universe. This clock utilizes strontium atoms, which oscillate 429 trillion times per second, measured by visible light rather than microwaves.

The clock's accuracy is vital for technologies like GPS and communication. It also paves the way for new discoveries in physics, aiding in the measurement of how gravity influences time at minute scales. This breakthrough could reveal subtle effects predicted by theories such as Einstein's general relativity.

The clock operates by confining thousands of strontium atoms within a laser grid, or "optical lattice." This configuration minimizes errors arising from laser fluctuations and atomic collisions. The outcome is a precision of a trillionth of a second over 300 billion years.

This advancement in timekeeping not only enhances our daily technologies but also broadens our comprehension of the universe's fundamental laws.

Full article>>